Climatic Conditions: Present and Past

Abstract

Analysis of present Egyptian climatic data indicates that Egypt is dominated by tropical and subtropical arid and hyper-arid climates. In the meantime, available evidence (geological, geomorphological, and biological) indicates that Egypt enjoyed wetter climates in the past than at present. All data indicates that from the end of the Eocene till the end of the Miocene periods, the climate was tropical wet, and from the Pliocene period, rainfall decreased gradually and aridity increased until the Mid-Holocene period when the tropical/subtropical arid climate prevailed all over Egypt and the Eastern Sahara. The main purpose of the study of present and past climates is to show their effect on the landscapes and landforms of Egypt.

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